


Coughing up Flowers and Wasted Breaths

by Egotisticalfloof



Category: Markiplier (RPF), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hanahaki Disease, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-22
Updated: 2017-10-22
Packaged: 2019-01-21 08:25:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12453435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Egotisticalfloof/pseuds/Egotisticalfloof
Summary: When Mark coughs up flowers every time Dark makes an appearance, he begins to panic. Googling what it could mean makes Mark think he's crazy but there is no other explanation.How could this love be anything other than unrequited?





	Coughing up Flowers and Wasted Breaths

**Author's Note:**

> based on a prompt from Tumblr, a comparison to [Kneeling At My Predetermined Grave](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11958000) with a happy ending.

 

 

When he started with a cough, Mark was disappointed. He really didn’t want to get sick, he had only just gotten over the last bought of sickness and he had just been getting back to normal. Still, if it was happening, it was happening, so Mark stocked up on cough medicine, cold and flu tablets and anything else he could think of, and then went back to work.

It only became weird when Mark had an encounter with Dark.

The grey-skinned ego had approached Mark to request time in an upcoming video. Mark had been planning to play “Don’t Play This Game” and Dark had decided that this would be a perfect game for him. Honestly, Mark didn’t see a problem with that and he agreed, and when Dark smiled and walked off triumphant, a spasm of coughing rushed through him and Mark doubled over.

His palm soon became filled with spots of red, and Mark automatically panicked, immediately thinking it was blood. Closing his fist to make sure the blood didn’t dribble to the floor, Mark started when he felt the soft feeling of petals beneath his fingers. Reopening his hand, Mark poked at the petals in his hands, wondering how he had managed to cough up flower petals.

Shaking his head, Mark threw the petals in the bin and stood up. It was possible he had ingested something while he had been out walking Chica, and his body was now forcing it out, so he paid it no mind and went on prepping for Dark to record the game video.

That in itself was a bad idea.

Watching Dark pretend to be him, laughing and joking and attempting to say the letters that crossed the top of the screen forced Mark to bend over and cough again. Dark paid him no mind, pausing the video until Mark left the room and then continuing to record again.

More petals ended up floating down into Mark’s open palm as he fell to his knees. His entire body was wracked with pain and his lungs felt as if they were about to burst. With his throat closing up, completely full of soft flower petals, Mark banged on the floor, hoping to draw someone’s attention as he felt his face heat up, unable to breath. The door to the recording room opened and Dark wandered out, casually kneeling down next to Mark and tilting his head up to look at him.

“What’s wrong?” He murmured, red eyes taking in Mark’s red cheeks, gasping breaths, hands grappling at his throat. “Can’t breathe?”

Dark stood and for one terrifying moment Mark thought he was going to leave him, but the ego grabbed him around the waist, at the bottom of his diaphragm and squeezed him, hard. With a couple of thrusts, the flowers burst from Mark’s mouth, spraying the petals across the corridor, and Mark sucked in breaths immediately, his entire body shaking and lungs burning. Dark let go of him and Mark dropped to the floor, fingers curling into the carpet as he tried to fill his lungs with as much air as possible.

“Flower.” Dark murmured, bending down to touch his fingers to the petals. “You’re coughing up flowers? How…absurd.”

“Shut up.” Mark gasped. “Shut up.”

“What a nice thing to say after I just saved your life. You should probably see a doctor about this…or at least google it and find out what’s going on. I’ve finished recording, all you need to do is edit.” The ego shrugged, turning and stalking away, leaving Mark surrounded by damp, slightly bloodied petals.

He followed Dark’s advice and googled “coughing up flowers”. The results made him laugh in disbelief and Mark was almost bowled over by the sheer ridiculousness of the idea that he had the fictional Hanahaki Disease.

Especially considering it only became painful and flowerful whenever Dark was around.

Meaning…he was in love with Dark.

And it was unrequited.

If banging his head against the wall would have cured him of it, Mark would have done so several times, and the idea was honestly tempting even despite that. In love with Dark. His body punishing him for being in love with Dark. No, his body slowly killing him for being in love with Dark. It was preposterous.

When Mark woke unable to breath and terrified in the middle of the night, alone and unable to do anything, his mind changed on the subject.

“What do I do Chica?” He murmured, curling up with his puppy on the couch.

Recording videos was difficult now because the coughing fits had become so frequent and he was afraid that even with cutting and editing the videos, it would be obvious that something was really wrong with him. His friends were getting concerned but he waved off their calls and texts and said he was just sick, and needed some time to get better.

Chica snuffled, sleeping calmly next to him and Mark buried his face in her fur and forced himself not to cry.

Footsteps soon met his ears and Mark jerked up, ready to yell at whoever it was to go away until he realised it was Dark. The grey-skinned ego was perfectly suited and didn’t look concerned, just interested in Mark’s feeble figure lying on the couch.

“So, this is where you’re hiding.” He murmured, stepping into the room and standing above Mark, head tilted to the side.

Mark’s lungs rebelled against Dark’s presence and he began coughing again. Chica woke and jumped down from the couch, scared from the noise, and giving Dark enough room to pull Mark to his feet and bend him over, making the coughing easier.

“Are you here to take control?” Mark asked, voice so weak from all the coughing that Dark barely caught the words. “To take advantage of my weakened state. This is all your fault.”

“My fault?” Dark queried, “How is this my fault?”

“Because you’re incapable of love!” Mark spat, “I know that, and my body is punishing me for it.”

The surprise on Dark’s face was too much for Mark, and the disease growing inside him. His lungs stopped working and breathing was impossible, and a thought shot through him, a terrifying “I’m going to die” thought. The fear must have shown on his face, because Dark’s lips were suddenly on his, blowing air into his lungs, which went past the flower petals and inflated Mark’s lungs with long sort after air.

Mark’s hands went up to Dark’s suit, fingers curling into the lapels of the jacket and attempting to push the ego away while immediately pulling him closer, desperate for more air. Dark continued to breath air into him, lips sealed against Mark’s and refusing to allow the petals to stop him from absorbing the air. When Mark could breathe by himself, Dark drew back, red eyes boring into Mark’s own, a strange expression on his face.

“Why didn’t you say something?” Dark murmured, letting his forehead rest against Mark’s, their lips still so close. “You should have.”

“Why?” Mark hissed, “Why should I have? What evidence did I have you’d respond in a positive way?”

“None.” Dark admitted, “None at all.”

“You wanted to be the death of me.” Mark whispered, “And you’ve got your wish.”

“You aren’t going to die Mark, if you would actually listen!” Dark snapped, his shell cracking a little bit. “Because of your twisted belief, the flowers have grown worse, but this love isn’t unrequited, you idiot.”

Tensing, Mark lurched back, his lungs constricting. Dark didn’t let him get far, shoving him down onto the couch and kneeling in front of him.

“Will you let me heal you?” The ego breathed, leaning forward into his space, lips once again inches apart. “Let me take away your pain. Life will go back to normal.”

Mark wanted to refuse, he wanted to believe that Dark was merely manipulating him because of the situation, but at that point, he really didn’t care. All he wanted was for this pain to be over, for these flowers to disappear from his lungs, and for his love to returned. And if he had to sacrifice something to Dark, it would be worth it in the end.

“Please.” He whimpered, “Please.”

Dark kissed Mark again, pressing him back into the couch and covering his body almost entirely. There was emotion in the kiss, whispered admissions of love as their teeth clacked slightly from the force of the kiss, and Mark felt his lungs burning but this time, it wasn’t painful or scary. It felt almost as if the flowers that had been building there were shrivelling up, and when it became too much for him to bear, he pulled from Dark and coughed. So many petals passed his lips, dead and curled into themselves, and when the coughing fit subsided, Mark was able to breathe easier than he had in months.

“You should have told me earlier.” Dark admonished him again, lips kiss red and bleeding slightly from where Mark’s teeth had caught the sensitive skin.

Mark didn’t reply, just pulled the ego back in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> My [Tumblr](https://egotisticalfloof.tumblr.com/)


End file.
